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Interoperability Summit 2026: When Standards Converge Last week’s Interoperability Summit at Deutsche Telekom in Bonn once again made one thing clear: Interoperability is no longer a topic for the future – it is a fundamental prerequisite for industrial value creation. The most compelling discussions centered around the interplay between OPC UA and AAS. What became evident is: 👉 It’s not about “either-or.” 👉 It’s about a complementary approach. We are currently seeing a growing number of “Better Together” initiatives driving exactly this convergence. A great example was the presentation by Erich Barnstedt (Microsoft), who demonstrated how both technologies can work together in practice, and the tangible value this creates for industry. Concrete use cases underline this potential: In his keynote, Adrian Grüner (Neoception GmbH) illustrated how digital twins based on the Asset Administration Shell can be generated in a structured and automated way. By connecting heterogeneous data sources and translating them into standardized AAS models, physical assets such as machines or components can be consistently represented in the digital world reducing manual effort and improving data availability. The open exchange, diverse perspectives, and even critical viewpoints significantly enriched the discussion. 🙏 Many thanks to T-Systems International and everyone involved for such an inspiring summit! GS1 Germany GmbH , ECLASS e.V. , FVA GmbH , VDMA , interop4X , prostep ivip Association 👉 And one thing is already certain: we can all look forward to the next Interoperability Summit – exciting developments ahead! #InteroperabilitySummit #Interoperability #OPCUA #AAS #DigitalTransformation #DataSpaces Sven Löffler ( T-Systems International ), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Wegener ( Siemens ), Adrian Grüner ( Neoception GmbH ), Peter Gerber ( Schaeffler ), Dr. Jakob Trauer ( :em engineering methods AG ), Stefan Gliniorz ( Bosch ), Michael Kirsch ( :em engineering methods AG ), Eric Schmidt ( VDMA ), Bernd Feldvoss ( Airbus ), Dominik Halbeisen ( GS1 Germany GmbH ), Paul Lukas Remde ( Construction Future Lab gGmbH ), Robert Płuska ( JSP Advanced Solutions ), Felix Hettig IDTA , OPC Foundation

🌍 German–Brazilian industrial cooperation is gaining real momentum at HANNOVER MESSE . The Mercosur agreement opens up massive opportunities for German and Brazilian machinery and plant engineering companies — from new markets to stronger partnerships and truly global value chains. This is exactly where umati comes in. At the umati stand (Hall 27, Booth F58), interoperability is no buzzword, but a working reality. A Data Space Demonstrator shows how OPC UA–based technology enables secure, interoperable data exchange between Germany and Brazil: across company boundaries and across continents. And this is not just a game for large corporations. The demonstrator clearly proves that small and medium-sized enterprises can participate in international data spaces, connect to global digital ecosystems and compete on a level playing field. A powerful example of how standards, interoperability and international collaboration turn political agreements into real industrial progress. 🤝 Bertram Kawlath , Fabiane Wahlbrink , Eric Schmidt #HannoverMesse #umati #OPCUA #Interoperability #DataSpaces #Mercosur #GermanyBrazil #MechanicalEngineering #SME #Industry40 #DigitalEcosystems

What a day at the DUSA European Association Suzhou Football Tournament in Suzhou! ☀️⚽️ Representing VDMA Mechanics, we experienced perfect weather, great spirit, and a team that truly showed heart. Despite a few tough setbacks before the tournament — with some players unfortunately injured — we went in with no substitutes and gave everything we had on the pitch. Proud of the team for fighting through every match: 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss, and a tough defeat in the penalty shootout. Not the easiest circumstances, but the commitment and energy were there from start to finish. Thank you to DUSA for the invitation and the organization. Hopefully we’ll be back stronger next year! Thank you to my VDMA Team to come Suzhou and support us ❤️ Seoul Min Kai KIM Ondřej Zapletal 安阳 Michael Min Xueting Wang Xin Li Seoreen Park #VDMAMechanics #Football #TeamSpirit #Suzhou #DUSA #NeverGiveUp

🎤 From data ecosystems to AI and interoperability – don’t miss these expert talks at HANNOVER MESSE ! Join us at HANNOVER MESSE for four insightful presentations that highlight how standards, interoperability and data spaces are shaping the future of mechanical and plant engineering: 🔹 Data Ecosystems in Mechanical and Plant Engineering – A Reference Implementation In his presentation, Kresimir Galic introduces the MX‑Port configuration “Orion” as a reference implementation for connecting shopfloor machines to sovereign data spaces. He explains how OPC UA enables standardized and secure data exchange and demonstrates, based on a concrete use case, how data ecosystems create transparency and enable new forms of data‑driven collaboration across value chains. 📍 Thursday | 12:05–12:25 | Hall 11, Booth B69 – Expert Stage 🔹 OPC UA for AI – Teaching AI how to talk to machines Dr. Holger Kenn presents key insights from the OPC UA for AI working group, where more than 70 experts from industry and academia collaborated for two years. His talk shows how standardized, semantically rich data enables AI systems to communicate with machines, analyze data and support operations, while clarifying the roles of OPC UA, MQTT, cloud and edge architectures, and intelligent agents. 📍 20 April 2026 | 10:00–10:20 (CEST) | Hall 11, Booth B69 – Expert Stage 🔹 OPC UA for Machinery – A harmonised foundation for the shopfloor In this session, Christopher Liehr gives a practical and up‑to‑date introduction to OPC UA for Machinery as the harmonised base standard for interoperable data access on the shopfloor. He presents the published building blocks, explains how they interact, and outlines current and ongoing standardisation activities. 📍 Friday, 24 April 2026 | 09:35–09:55 | Hall 26, Booth E43 – Expert Stage 2 🔹 Interoperable Battery Production – The enabler for the European market? Christopher Liehr explores how interoperability can become a competitive advantage for battery cell manufacturing in Europe. He highlights current developments in battery production and presents the latest progress on OPC UA Companion Specifications for battery manufacturing, developed together with VDA and now available for public review. 📍 Thursday, 23 April | 16:50–17:10 | Hall 12, Booth F56 – Expert Stage 👉 Whether you work on digitalisation, AI, automation, energy or standardisation, these sessions offer valuable insights and practical perspectives. See you at HANNOVER MESSE ! #OPCUA #Interoperability #IndustrialAI #DataSpaces #Automation #Digitalisation #MechanicalEngineering #BatteryProduction #Industry40 #VDMA